Method and system for establishing messaging communication with a service provider, such as a PSAP (public safety answering point)

• US 8,195,121 B2
• Filed: 10/17/2008
• Issued: 06/05/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: T-Mobile USA, Inc. (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Dunn, Timothy N., Farrell, Declan
• Primary Examiner(s): Afshar, Kamran
• Assistant Examiner(s): Lam, Dung
• Application Number:
  US12/253,890
• Publication Number:
  US 20100069099A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 455/404.2, 455/466, 4554561-4566, 455/404.1, 379 37- 51
• US Class Current: 455/404.1
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/12 Messaging; Mailboxes; Announcements
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/90 Services for handling of emergency or hazardous situations, e.g. earthquake and tsunami warning systems [ETWS]
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 76/50 for emergency connections

Abstract

Described in detail herein is a system and method for allowing a device, such as a cell phone, to establish a messaging dialogue with a service provider, such as SMS messaging with a 911 call center. Furthermore, the service provider can receive location data of the mobile device. Further details and features are described herein.

Claims

1. A method of providing text-based public service help to subscribers of mobile telecommunications services, wherein the subscribers operate mobile telecommunications devices within a wireless network, and wherein the wireless network is coupled to multiple geographically separated Public Service Answering Points (PSAPs), the method comprising:

determining whether a received text-based message is a request for public service help,

wherein the request for public service help is selected from a plurality of different types of requests for public service help,

wherein the received text-based message is associated with a user-input numeric or alphanumeric string,

wherein the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string is a mobile phone short code having more than 3 digits or characters,

wherein the received text-based message and the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string are received from a mobile telecommunications device,

wherein the determining includes identifying whether the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string is substantially similar to a previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string, and

wherein neither the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string nor the previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string are a phone number;

obtaining geographic location information associated with a geographic location of the mobile telecommunications device;

based on the obtained geographic information, identifying a one of the multiple geographically separated PSAPs that is designated to serve the mobile telecommunications device; and

forwarding the text-based message to the one PSAP that is designated to serve the mobile telecommunications device,

wherein the obtained geographic information is embedded in the text-based message forwarded to the one PSAP.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the text-based message is a short messaging service (SMS) message, electronic mail message, or an instant message (IM).

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string is 435763.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising, after the forwarding, routing the obtained location information to the one PSAP that is designated to serve the mobile telecommunications device.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying includes identifying a routing number, telephone number or short code associated with the one PSAP that is designated to serve the mobile telecommunications device, and wherein the forwarding includes forwarding the text-based message based on the identified routing number, telephone number or short code.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying includes querying a database for latitude and longitude coordinates associated with street addresses for customer premises wireless equipment in communication with the mobile telecommunications device, wherein the customer premises equipment includes a femtocell, a picocell or an IEEE 802.11 access point.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising after the forwarding, exchanging point-to-point text-based messages between the mobile telecommunications device and the one PSAP that is designated to serve the mobile telecommunications device, wherein the point-to-point text-based messages comprise customizable messages that communicate information other than confirmation of receipt of user messages.

8. A system configured to route messages from a device to one of multiple geographically separated service providers, the system comprising:

means for determining whether a received message is a request for a service,

wherein the received message is associated with a user-input numeric or alphanumeric string,

wherein the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string is a mobile phone short code having more than 3 digits or characters,

wherein the received message and the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string are received from the device,

wherein the means for determining includes means for identifying whether the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string is substantially similar to a stored previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string, and

wherein neither the user-input numeric or alphanumeric string nor the previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string are a phone number input at the device to establish a voice call;

means for obtaining geographic location information associated with a geographic location of the device,

means for identifying a one of the multiple geographically separated service providers to serve the device based on the obtained geographic information; and

means for routing the received message to the identified service provider, wherein obtained geographic location information is embedded in the received message; and

means for exchanging point-to-point text-based messages between the device and the identified service provider,

wherein the point-to-point text-based messages comprise customizable messages that communicate information other than confirmation of receipt of user messages.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the message is a short messaging service (SMS) message, multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, electronic mail message, an instant message (IM), or a prerecorded voice message.

10. The system of claim 8 wherein the previously defined numeric or alphanumeric string is 435763, 728363, 63334357, or 4658733.

11. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for routing includes routing the obtained location information to the identified service provider.

12. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for identifying includes means for identifying a routing number, telephone number or short code associated with the identified service provider, and wherein the means for forwarding includes means for forwarding the message based on the identified routing number, telephone number or short code.

13. The system of claim 8 wherein the means for identifying includes means for querying a database for latitude and longitude coordinates associated with street addresses for equipment in communication with the device, wherein the equipment includes a femtocell, picocell or a WiFi access point.

14. The system of claim 8 wherein the request for a service is selected from a plurality of different types of requests for a service, and wherein the geographic location information is determined via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC).

15. A system for establishing messaging communication between a device and a service provider, the system comprising:

a messaging server operable to receive a messaging request from a device, the messaging request having an associated short code string used to determine whether the message request is a request to be routed to a service provider,

wherein the messaging request is selected from a plurality of different types of messaging requests, and

wherein the short code string has more than 3 digits or characters;

a device locator operable to obtain location information of the device,

wherein the location information is determined via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC);

a database to store coverage regions of respective service providers and associated service provider routing numbers; and

a location center operable to identify one of the respective service providers and the associated routing number stored in the database that serves the device, based on the location information of the device,

wherein the messaging server forwards the message request to the identified service provider via the associated service provider routing number, and

wherein the location information of the device is included with the message request.

16. The system of claim 15 wherein the messaging request from the device is at least one of a short messaging service (SMS) message, multimedia messaging service (MMS) message, electronic mail message, an instant message (IM), and Morse code message.

17. The system of claim 15 wherein the associated service provider routing number is at least one of a short code, telephone number, and an electronic mail address.

18. The system of claim 15 wherein the associated short code string is “

HELPME”

, “

SAVEME”

, “

NEEDHELP”

, or “

INJURED”

.

19. The system of claim 15 wherein the device locator performs a querying of a database for latitude and longitude coordinates associated with street addresses for customer premises wireless equipment in communication with the mobile telecommunications device, wherein the customer premises equipment includes a femtocell, a picocell or an IEEE 802.11 access point.

20. A method of forwarding messages received from a device to a service provider, the method comprising:

determining whether a received message is addressed to initiate a messaging session with a service provider,

wherein the received message is associated with a user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address,

wherein the received message and the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address are received from a device,

wherein the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address is a mobile phone short code having more than 3 digits or characters,

wherein the determining includes identifying whether the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address is substantially similar to a previously defined numeric address or alphanumeric string address,

wherein neither the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address nor the previously defined numeric string address or alphanumeric string address are a phone number, and

wherein the received message is selected from a plurality of different types of received messages;

obtaining geographic location information associated with a geographic location of the device;

identifying a service provider that serves the device based on the obtained geographic information; and

forwarding the message to the service provider, wherein the obtained geographic location information is included with the message; and

after the forwarding, exchanging point-to-point text-based messages between the device and the service provider,

wherein the point-to-point text-based messages comprise customizable messages that communicate information other than confirmation of receipt of user messages.

21. The method of claim 20 wherein the message is a short messaging service (SMS) message, multimedia message service (MMS) message, electronic mail message, or an instant message (IM).

22. The method of claim 20 wherein the previously defined numeric string address or alphanumeric string address is 435763.

23. The method of claim 20 wherein the forwarding comprises forwarding the obtained location information to the service provider.

24. The method of claim 20, further comprising, after the forwarding, routing the obtained location information to the service provider.

25. The method of claim 20 wherein the identifying includes identifying a routing number, telephone number or short code associated with the service provider, and wherein the forwarding includes forwarding the message based on the identified routing number, telephone number or short code.

26. The method of claim 20 wherein the identifying includes querying a database for latitude and longitude coordinates associated with street addresses for equipment in communication with the device, wherein the equipment includes a femtocell, a picocell, an IEEE 802.11 access point or a router.

27. The method of claim 20, further comprising automatically correcting the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address to be a same address as the previously defined numeric address or alphanumeric string address, in response to the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address being substantially similar to the previously defined numeric address or alphanumeric string address.

28. The method of claim 20, further comprising:

detecting an erroneous entry of the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address; and

automatically correcting the erroneous entry to initiate the messaging session with the service provider.

29. The method of claim 20, further comprising translating the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address into the previously defined numeric address or alphanumeric string address, in response to the user-input numeric string address or alphanumeric string address being a respective one of alternate addresses used to initiate the messaging session with the service provider.

30. The method of claim 20 wherein the geographic location information is determined via a Gateway Mobile Location Center (GMLC).